Authorities worldwide are on the lookout for a Navy reservist who allegedly murdered his wife, stored her body in a freezer, and then escaped to China.
David Varela, aged 38, faces charges of first-degree murder following the discovery of his wife, 39-year-old Lina Guerra, in their Norfolk, Virginia apartment, as per the Norfolk Police Department.
Guerra was initially reported missing on February 4, prompting authorities to appeal to the public for assistance in locating her until they eventually found her remains at her residence.
While the cause of death was initially listed as ‘undetermined,’ a medical examiner concluded on February 10 that Guerra had been murdered.
A federal affidavit, accessed by local NBC affiliate WAVY, disclosed that officers discovered Guerra’s body in the apartment’s freezer after family members reported not hearing from the couple for an extended period.
Additionally, Varela’s reserve supervisor informed detectives that Varela’s lack of response to multiple calls was out of character, raising further concerns.
Police searched their apartment and found Guerra’s phone, as well as Varela’s Tesla parked outside.
Emergency disclosure requests from WhatsApp, included in the affidavit, revealed location data pinging Varela’s phone in Hong Kong.
David Varela, pictured in an undated image, has been accused of killing his wife and fleeing the country after placing her body in their freezer
Lina Guerra, 39, was reported missing on February 4. Authorities found her body in a freezer days later and ruled her death a homicide on February 10. She’s pictured in an undated image provided by police
NCIS said in a statement to WAVY that Varela has family in Colombia but ‘does not have any discernible ties to Hong Kong or China, [and] Varela has not reported to duty, as required, nor has he returned any phone calls to CPO Patterson.’
Varela potentially fleeing to Hong Kong would significantly complicate his arrest, given the extradition laws between the two countries.
The US suspended an extradition treaty with Hong Kong in 2020 over concerns that the Chinese Communist Party was undermining the region’s autonomy.
One of the treaties included the ‘surrender of fugitive offenders, the transfer of sentenced persons, and reciprocal tax exemptions on income’ between the US and Hong Kong.
Legal analyst Ed Booth told local ABC affiliate, 13 News Now: ‘If you needed to buy yourself some time to where law enforcement was not going to be looking for you, this was a way to do it.’
Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi told 13 News Now that local authorities are working with the International Criminal Police Organization to locate Varela. NCIS, Homeland Security, and the FBI have also joined the investigation.
‘Now it’s a matter of time and luck to see when this particular suspect comes across police,’ Fatehi said.
Guerra’s family told local news outlets that the couple had been together for over a decade and met in Miami before relocating to Virginia.
Family members told local news that Varela said Guerra was in jail for shoplifting before she was reported missing. He reportedly sent them a picture where it appeared she was wearing an orange jumpsuit, seen above. Court records later confirmed she had never been arrested for shoplifting
Virginia State Police issued a ‘critically missing adult alert’ for Guerra before she was found dead in her apartment
Most of Guerra’s family lives in Colombia. They told local ABC affiliate, WTKR, that Varela had lied to them, saying Guerra was in jail for shoplifting while she was missing.
When they had not heard from her for two weeks, they said Valera sent a picture of Guerra, who appeared to be in an orange jumpsuit.
He even told the family that he had been crying for days and hadn’t eaten because of how upset he was over the charges against Guerra.
Court records later confirmed that Guerra was never arrested for shoplifting. Paola Ramirez, Guerra’s sister-in-law, told WTKR that Varela had been violent in the past.
‘I want to emphasize that there had been violence before from David,’ Ramirez said in a translated interview with the outlet.
‘He had hit her previously, but she didn’t tell us because she didn’t want to worry us. He appeared to be very religious, very calm, normal, that’s why this is so shocking; we never imagined he’d do something like this.’
Police carried out a search warrant in the unit Guerra and Varela lived in together, pictured above, which is when they made the grim discovery
Guerra was described as a loving and family-oriented individual. Her family said they were shocked by her death and expressed that her husband had been violent towards her before. She’s pictured here in an undated image
Guerra was described as an empathetic, loving, and family-oriented individual. Her aunt, Elizabeth Echavarria, told 13 News Now that their family was devastated.
‘She was a very important person to her siblings. We miss her terribly. We still haven’t gotten over the shock of that bad news.’
Echavarria added that she was confused about how Varela was traveling, since he had recently been injured and was using crutches.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Norfolk Police Department for comment and an update on the case.
